Greek vaulter Karalis clears 6.17m, now second best ever

Emmanouil Karalis cleared 6.17m at the Greek Indoor Championships on Saturday, becoming the second-highest pole vaulter in history.supersport
The 26-year-old improved his personal best by nine centimeters and surpassed legends Sergey Bubka and Renaud Lavillenie on the all-time list.protothema
Karalis attempted 6.31m to break Duplantis‘s 6.30m world record but failed twice before exiting to a standing ovation.supersport

Emmanouil Karalis Clears 6.17m to Become Second-Highest Pole Vaulter in History

Emmanouil Karalis launched himself into the record books on Saturday, clearing 6.17 meters at the Greek Indoor Championships in Paiania on the outskirts of Athens to become the second-highest pole vaulter of all time. Only Sweden’s Armand Duplantis, who holds the world record at 6.30m, has ever gone higher.supersport

The 26-year-old Greek, who won the European indoor title earlier in the season, improved his personal best by nine centimeters in a single leap, having entered the competition with a previous best of 6.08m. The clearance also set a new Greek national record and stands as the world-leading mark for 2026.protothema

A Historic Evening in Paiania

Karalis opened his evening with clearances at 5.70m and 5.90m before sailing over 6.07m on his first attempt, itself a new Greek indoor record. He then raised the bar to 6.17m. After missing on his first try, Karalis cleared it on his second attempt, drawing a roaring response from the crowd.supersport

With the jump, Karalis moved past both Sergey Bubka, who vaulted 6.15m, and France’s Renaud Lavillenie, the former world record holder at 6.16m set indoors in 2014. Emboldened, Karalis set the bar at 6.31m in a bid to break Duplantis’s world record. He failed on both attempts before ending his evening to a standing ovation.protothema

Road to the World Indoors

Karalis has steadily risen through the ranks in recent years. He took bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics and silver at both the 2025 World Indoor and Outdoor Championships, finishing behind Duplantis on each occasion.supersport

European Athletics celebrated the performance on social media, writing: “Emmanouil Karalis SOARS to a new Greek national record of 6.17m in the men’s pole vault — the second-best jumper of all time!”supersport

The two will meet again on March 12 at the Mondo Classic in Uppsala, Sweden, before the World Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland. Whether Karalis can push Duplantis remains the defining question of the indoor season.supersport